


Loving A Nephilim- Book Six

by EideticPrettyBoySpence



Series: Loving a Nephilim [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22857082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EideticPrettyBoySpence/pseuds/EideticPrettyBoySpence
Summary: This story takes place during 14x8-14x11
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Jack Kline/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Loving a Nephilim [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1246541





	Loving A Nephilim- Book Six

After Jack died, Cas, Dean, and Sam wasted no time planning his funeral. I'm still trying to process what the hell just happened when they go out of the room and start talking next steps. I absently run my fingers through Jack's hair as I listen to them.

"Maybe we should start talking next steps," Cas says.

"Wake and a bonfire, hunter style," Dean replies.

"Sam. Your brother's in pain."

"Just let him be. If he needs his space, we're gonna give it to him."

Sam walks off to go to his room, Dean goes to call Mary and tell her about Jack, and Cas comes back into Jack's room. He picks up the picture of Kelly on the bedside table, and I look up at him with a tearstained face, so he wraps his free arm around my shoulder. When he finally walks away, I hear his voice mixing with the brothers' voices coming from the kitchen. But I can't bring myself to leave Jack to see what they're talking about. I had only left his side for a minute to grab four bottles of whiskey from my room, then I drank two of them before I passed out from a combination of tiredness and heartache. The next morning I wake up with a pounding headache, and I hear voices coming from the living room. I try to stand up and weave for a minute, so I have to sit on the edge of Jack's bed for a minute before I can follow the sound of the voices. When I round the corner I see Sam, Cas, and a woman I don't immediately recognize, and then Dean comes up behind me from the direction of the kitchen. He's in the same clothes he was wearing last night, so he must have passed out at the table, probably after drinking.

"You think it's possible?" Cas asks.

"I think so, maybe," the woman says.

"Maybe what?"

"Hello, Dean."

"Dean, you remember Lily Sunder."

"L- you got old."

"Did I? An unfortunate side effect of giving up magic, I suppose."

"Ah. What are you doing here?"

"I called her," Sam says.

"You- okay. Last thing I remember was her killing a whole bunch of angels to get revenge for her daughter. She tried to kill you."

"Yeah. I remember," Cas says.

"That's not- Dean, listen, last night, after about whiskey number five, it hit me. I mean, we've torn through all the lore looking for a way to cure Jack, right? But we've never looked through Kevin's angel tablet translations."

"Yeah, cause they're worthless. I mean, Kevin translated them into crazy scribble only a prophet can read. And last I checked, we can't exactly ask Donatello."

"Maybe I can read them."

"Oh, so, what, now you're a prophet?"

"She's the next best thing. I mean, Lily is an angel expert who tapped into their magic in ways we didn't even know existed. So if she can read the translations, then maybe we can pull off a miracle."

"What kind of miracle?"

"A way to bring Jack home."

"Okay. Go for it."

"I- wait, could it be possible?"

"So, can you read-"

"Shh! I'm sorry, I can't."

"Oh, all right. Well, thanks for stopping by."

"Wait. You can use my magic."

"Your magic?" Cas says.

"The magic I used, as you so sensitively put it, to get revenge with my daughter. You said your nephilim boy- Jack- without his angel grace, his human body died? My magic draws power from the soul, the human soul. It could save him."

"You'd give your soul up?"

"Not my soul. His."

"Pass," Dean says.

"Not a chance in hell. I won't do that to him. He's got the purest soul of any person I've ever met."

"It's not his entire soul, obviously."

"How much of it?"

"As long as he's only using it to sustain his body, it won't cost much. He'll never miss it?"

"Are we seriously considering this right now?" I cut in.

"What are we even talking about? I-it's too late. Jack's dead. His soul's gone, right?"

"Maybe not," Cas says. "If Jack is in heaven, I might be able to pull his soul into his body. It would only be for a few seconds."

"That's all the time I need. If I can open the door, your boy can use my magic to stay alive. Resurrection and a cure. You're welcome."

"And you would do all this for us, huh? Eh, for what? Out of the kindness of your heart?"

"No. But I'm willing to trade."

"Trade for what?" Sam asks.

"I'm old, and I'm dying. And when my life is over, I'm pretty certain I'm going to Hell."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I murdered a lot of angels. I don't expect them to welcome me with open arms. So, if you want my help... get me into Heaven."

The brothers, Cas and I go in a different room to talk about all our options. Which, as far as Dean and I can see it, there aren't any. I won't gamble with Jack's soul, and I can't believe Sam is even considering it. He knows better than anyone what it's like to have to live without a soul, no matter how short of a time he was really without his.

"We're talking about that kid's soul," Dean says.

"Not all of it," Sam argues.

"Oh, okay, then. Tell me you're not okay with this," he asks Cas.

"Don't you think Jack should decide for himself?"

"Listen, I know how important a soul is. Believe me, I do. But if we have a shot at saving him and bringing him-"

"Look, if we do this- if- how are we supposed to get her upstairs, hm? What, do we talk to death? Billie? Kidnap a reaper?"

"Death is powerful, but she and her reapers- they don't decide who goes up or who goes down."

"Then who does?"

Cas goes over to the bookshelf, pulling out a book. "Anubis. Guardian of the Dead. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when you die, Anubis would weigh your heart on his scale against justice's feather."

"Yeah, the- the weighing of the heart ceremony, right, but that wasn't Anubis. That was Osiris. We met him," Sam says.

"Major dick," Dean cuts in.

"Osiris is Anubis' father, and Heaven passed over him when they enlisted his son."

"Anubis works for Heaven?"

"He doesn't work for Heaven. He works with Heaven. When God left- sorry, long story- we needed a new judge, and Anubis was the obvious choice."

"So Heaven hired a temp to make sure the soul trains kept running on time?"

"Right. Great. So, we summon him."

"You can do that? You can summon a god?"

"Done it before."

So Dean, Sam and I set up for the rituals to summon Anubis and Jack, while Cas goes to see if he can find where his soul is. The brothers are arguing as they move the table, and I'm on Dean's side. I don't trust Lily, and I don't like gambling with a soul that's not mine.

"All right, Lily should be done in a second. She's writing instructions for Jack so he'll know how to, uh..."

"Use the soul-sucking magic? Boy, that lady's a peach."

"Listen, we talked about this."

"I know. Gotta happen. It's the only way. Right. But I don't like rollin' the dice on the word of a psycho ex-angel killer."

"I don't love it, either, but taking risks, making crappy deals- that's what we do."

"But that's the thing, Sam. We're usually the ones making crappy deals," I say.

"Yeah, and they usually bite us in the ass."

"So, what do you wanna do about it? Leave Jack in the morgue? Burn him?"

"I didn't say that."

"Because, for me, not doing this- that- that would be like letting him die all over again."

"I want Jack back, too, okay? I do. I just don't trust Lily." Cas comes back in the room then, and Dean turns to him. "Got a 20 on Jack?"

"Not exactly. Angel radio is playing a distress signal."

"Awesome," Dean says sarcastically.

"All of Heaven's gates are open, even the ones that Metatron closed."

"What could that mean?" Sam asks.

"I don't know, but it's not good."

"More awesome."

"All right, well, you go. We got Lily. When we're ready, we'll pray."

So Dean mixes red paint and palm oil to draw a summoning circle on the floor, and Sam takes the 'instruction manual' from Lily.

"The instruction manual," she says, handing it over.

"Thanks. All right, we're almost set. Just gotta get one more thing. I'm gonna go grab it."

When Sam leaves the room, Dean sets the bowl and paintbrush down. He stands up and takes a couple of steps toward the woman.

"You know, maybe we got off to a bad start. I guess I should be thanking you."

"Apology accepted," she says.

"Except something's been bothering me. Uh, you know, if this magic of yours is so great... why'd you stop using it? You're letting yourself get old. You're letting yourself die. Why? Why risk going to Hell if you don't have to? There's something you're not telling us."

"When Ishim took my daughter, I swore I'd kill him, even if it meant burning my entire soul. But it didn't. I have a sliver, a whisper of my soul left."

"And?"

"May- my daughter, my little girl- is in Heaven. And if there is still a piece of my soul... now do you understand?"

When Sam comes back, he starts the ritual to summon Anubis. He lights the candles on the outside of the circle, and Lily takes a knife from Dean, walks into the middle of it, slicing her palm with it. Her blood drips onto the floor, right into the middle of the Eye of Anubis.

"Give it a second," Sam says when he's done, right before the god appears.

"Mm. The brothers Winchester. I must say, your files have come across my desk many times."

"We never met? I mean, we've died," Sam says.

"Yeah, a lot," Dean says.

"I'm more of a 'back of the house' kind of guy. Death and her subordinates get all the face time. I get stuck with the paperwork."

"Pushin' pencils. Damning souls. Tough work."

"Just as snappy as advertised," Anubis laughs. "What do you want?"

"It's me. I need to know where I'm going when I die," Lily says.

"Hm. That's unorthodox. Against protocol. But I suppose we're already here."

The god opens his briefcase and takes out an abacus, with white beads on one side and black on the other.

"An abacus?" Sam asks.

"You were expecting a scale and a feather? May I?" Anubis holds out his hand for Lily's, bringing it palm down over the top of the abacus. The beads move back and forth for what seems like forever until finally, they stop. "I'm sorry."

"No," Lily says.

"Change it."

"I can't."

"Well, looks like you're not goin' anywhere."

"Yeah. The lore was pretty clear. Anubis can be bound in a ring of foinikelaio."

"Aka palm oil," Dean cuts in. "Just so happens we had some laying around."

"This is a miscalculation."

"Fine. Then change it. Let her into Heaven."

"I'm an accountant. I don't have that kind of power."

"Like you or, or God has never made an exception?" Sam says.

"That's right. Because God doesn't decide. I don't decide. You do, each of you, your individual choices all tallied up at the precise moment of your death. Keep me here. Try and kill me. It won't change Lily Sunder's fate. But it might change yours." Sam rubs a break in the circle with his shoe, and Anubis disappears. Lily packs up her things as Sam cleans up. "Lily, I- I know you're upset, but you can still do the spell." "That wasn't the deal. I've got to go." "We have nothing to offer you, noth- nothing to say, but... he's our kid!" "I'm sorry." "Lily, please, I... I have money, I can give you however much you need. Just please, please, help us. He was my boyfriend, I don't know how I can function without him," I beg with tears in my eyes. "You know what I think? Burning all that soul? You're not even human anymore, not really." "Dean-" Sam tries. "Otherwise, how could you ever, ever let anyone go through what you went through? The pain of losing a kid? Don't do this to us." Finally, Lily agrees to help us, free of charge. Dean brings Jack into the room as Sam draws symbols on a sheet and drops it over the table in the middle of the room. Dean lays Jack's body gently on the table, and I cover my mouth with a sob. I brush his hair out of his eyes softly, kissing his forehead. Then I walk around the side of the table to take his hand in mine. Lily kisses the locket with her daughter's picture in it, sighs softly, and turns around. "I'm ready." "Cas, I hope you can hear me. We've got Jack. His shell- it's ready to go. Here's hoping that you're staring at him right now. So if you are, then, uh, do your thing, okay? Amen." Lily starts chanting to begin the ritual, then a few minutes later, Jack gasps and sits up. Dean and Sam steady him, and Sam hands him a piece of paper with his piece of the ritual on it. "Jack," Sam says. "Hey," the nephilim replies. "Hey, hey, hey. Read this. Jack, read this." Jack reads the words on the paper breathlessly, then he gasps and his eyes glow golden. "Was that my soul?" "How do you feel?" "Good. I feel... good." We all laugh as Dean hugs Jack, and Sam pats his shoulder. Then I choke out a sob and throw myself into Jack's arms. He chuckles softly and wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head softly. I cling to him desperately as if I'm afraid he'll disappear, body trembling a little bit. "You're here, you're actually here... I can't believe you're here," I whisper. "I'm here, Nyssa," Jack says, running his fingers through my hair. "I've got you, it's okay." While Sam buries Lily, the rest of us go into the kitchen, after I grab the whiskey from my room. I sit with my chair pressed as close to Jack's as I can, while Dean makes us all burgers. But then he pulls me onto his lap and wraps my arms around my waist. I don't even pay attention to my burger at first, I just study Jack's face, memorizing every part of it. "Is, uh, something wrong?" Jack says when he realizes we're all staring. "No. No, not at all," Sam says. "We're just damn glad to have you back," Dean adds. "Yeah," Cas chimes in. "And we know where Michael is. Not quite sure how you pulled that one off." "Well, we, uh- we still don't know where Dark Kaia is or the spear." "Yeah, but we will. We'll figure it out. We'll find her. I mean, we've found her before." "That's right. And then Michael- and that son of a bitch is gonna pay." After we finish eating, I take Jack's hand and lead him to his room. We get ready for bed and climb under the covers, and he pulls me against his chest. I brush his hair out of his face and cup his cheek in my hand, studying his face for a moment until tears prick the corners of my eyes. "What's wrong, babe?" "Nothing, I just can't believe you're here... I'm afraid to go to sleep and find out it was just a dream." "It's not a dream, Nyssa, I promise you. Let's get some sleep, okay?" I wake up alone a few hours later, and I panic until I see a note on my pillow. I go into the kitchen to find Jack eating a bowl of cereal, so I grab another bowl and spoon and sit down across from him. I pour myself a bowl and start eating, and Jack takes my hand in his. The only sounds are spoons on the bottom of the bowls, and the soft crunching as we eat. Then the light clicks on and we turn to see Cas standing in the doorway. "Don't tell Sam," Jack says. "Jack, it's the middle of the night," he says. I move around to sit next to Jack, leaving him to take my seat. "Ah, I know. I couldn't wait til breakfast. Sam says this stuff will rot your teeth, but... I like it." "Jack. If you can't sleep, that's understandable, given recent events." "You mean dying and coming back to life." "Yeah, we've all been through it. Except for Nyssa. It's something of a right of passage around here." "That's not- I've been thinking about Heaven. My mother. You think she's safe?" I wrap my arm around Jack's waist. "Yeah, of course." "But how could the Empty get in? And I thought Heaven was supposed to be perfect." "No. It's not. Nothing's perfect, Jack. But I know Naomi, and she's complicated, but there is nothing that she won't do to protect the souls that are in her charge. Try not to worry, okay?" "Okay. Cas," Jack calls the angel's name as he starts to leave. "The deal you made... why can't Sam and Dean know?" "Wait, I'm sorry, what deal? Cas, what's going on?" "They can. I... I just don't... I don't want them to," Cas smiles softly at me. "They don't need that burden. You don't need that burden." "Of course I do. You did that for me," Jack says. "You know, the Empty said it wouldn't come for me until I had finally given myself permission to be happy, but with everything we have going on, with- with Michael still out there, I don't see that happening any time soon. This life maybe be a lot of things, but it's rarely happy," my face pales at those words, and I bite my lip. "I'm sorry," Jack says. "Hey. At least we have Krunch Cookie Crunch." "Yeah. We do. Did you take the decoder ring out of the box?" "Maybe," Cas says after a moment, making me giggle. "The secret password is 'cookietacular.' Shh." After we finish our cereal Jack and I go back to our room and sleep for a while longer. When we wake up, I hear Sam's voice from the living room so I go to see what's happening. Maybe it's just a routine case, but maybe it's Garth with an update on Michael. Turns out it was the later, and I faintly hear the werewolf's voice from the other end. "Sam, that's not all. They want me to 'make the change,' become one of them." "When?" "I don't know. Soon, I think." "Well did they say how it works?" "Uh, yeah. We're supposed to drink blood mixed with Michael's grace." "Garth, y-you can't do that. W-we don't know what that stuff does, you know?" "Look, Sam, I knew this was a risky one. Besides, I'll just pull the old fake-swallow-and-spit-it-out-later-cough-syrup trick." "What?" "Used to work on my mom." "Garth-" "Well, most of the time." "This isn't your mom, Garth. This is an archangel." "Oh, gotta go." "No, Garth- Garth? Garth?" "Garth, huh? He'll be okay. He's fooled Michael this far, right?" Dean walks into the room as Sam is hanging up. "Dean, I pulled him out of retirement for an undercover mission. If something happens to him, it's on me." "Okay, hey, look. Naomi gave us Michael's location, okay? We got a spy on the inside- for a change, we're a step ahead. And given everything we've pulled off lately, I like our odds." Just then Cas walks into the room, looking at the brothers. "It's Ketch." So we gather around Cas' laptop to listen to the Brits' report. When we walk into the room, Jack is already there. I stand behind him and place my hands on his shoulders. "Mm. Valko's compound was a breeze, as it turned out," Ketch says after taking a sip of tea. "Jammed the security system from the outside, sedated the guard dogs- Rottweilers, naturally..." "Ketch," Dean says. "You have it?" Sam asks. "Sam, Dean. What, no 'hellos', 'how are yous'?" "No time." "The egg, Ketch," Cas says. "And as I was just telling Jack, I did, in fact, manage to expropriate the egg from a certain Hungarian rare weapons collector." "Yeah, uh, uh, Arpad Valko," Sam interrupts. "W-we got the messages, but so?" "Unfortunately, once I got back to Budapest, where I was intending to catch the red-eye back to the good ole U.S. of A., he unleashed a swarm of mercenaries upon me. I was cornered, and so I was forced to, I'm afraid, drop the egg-like... well, to mix a metaphor, like a hot potato." "You dropped it?" Cas growls. "Never you mind, boys, I put it somewhere safe. In fact, it should be arriving in Lebanon, Kansas, the day after tomorrow, between, mm... two and six pm." "You put the only weapon we have against Michael... in the mail?" "Ah, not just any mail. I paid extra. Certified Priority Express." "He paid extra," Dean says sarcastically. "Look, I improvised. It's not as if I have access to the top-shelf courier networks I did during my British Men of Letters days. And, so, whose fault is that, hm?" "Okay, K-Ketch, we're- we're not mad, w-we appreciate the effort," Sam says. "Do we?" Dean says. "It's just that big Michael stuff is going down soon. We- we- we kind of needed the egg... now." "Oh. Well, um..." Ketch pauses for a long time before continuing. "Sorry, chaps." Cas walks away with an irritated sigh, and Ketch disconnects the call after giving us the routing number. Sam pulls up the courier service website and enters the routing number to find the package. "Okay, it's not far. It's being held at a hub facility in Joplin, Missouri. Apparently, it would have made it to Lebanon if it weren't closed for the holiday." "Well, if they're closed..." Cas says. "Means we can get it," Sam replies. "How?" Jack asks. "We break in," Sam says. Then his phone rings. "Garth. Hey." "Michael's sending some guys after... someone. They're headed to an old recycling plant north of Omaha. Uh, says he wants them to get a weapon. A spear? That mean anything to you?" "Uh, yeah. I have an idea. But what about you? How are you? Were you able to fake them out?" "Oh, yeah. All good. Uh, but-" "But what?" "There's more. I heard Michael's plan. He's gonna attack Omaha." "The whole damn town?" Dean exclaims "It's gonna be a bloodbath. All of Michael's monsters activating all at once, attacking, turning everyone in Kansas City?" "It's his army," Cas says. "And all on a night when nobody's guard's up- all nogged up and waiting for Santa. Merry freakin' Christmas." "Yeah, well, Garth said Michael was gonna give the signal at Midnight, so if we can get to him before he does..." "Then we can stop this," Jack finishes. "And with the spear still in play, that can hurt Michael. Given as much trouble as he's gone through to find it, it might do worse. Could be a shot at actually killing the son of a bitch." "And we may be able to trap him. I mean, Bobby's been working on those angel cuffs. They might be able to hold him." "Yeah, and- and getting the egg? I mean, we have Rowena's spell," Sam says. "We can put Michael back in the Cage. It's literally a trip to the post office." "Okay, well, getting the egg is literally a trip to the Carter Lake recycling facilities. I say we get both. Me and Cas- we'll go deal with Michael's monsters and get the spear. You and Jack- you do your mail run and get the egg. We'll meet back at Hitomi Plaza with both weapons, and we'll hit him from both sides."

So Sam, Jack and I head off to Missouri while Cas and Dean go to Carter Lake to get the spear. When we get to the post office, Jack pulls out a lock picking kit before Sam even has a chance to reach for his. I watch him with a sense of pride as he meticulously picks the lock, kissing his cheek quickly when the door pops open. When we get to the mailbox, he picks that lock and takes the package out, and we head back out to Cas' car.

"It's lighter than I expected," he says.

"Yeah, it'll do the job."

"'Happy Holidays.'"

We're about to climb back into the car when suddenly we're ambushed by some of Michael's men. A man dressed all in black hits Sam in the back of the head with the butt of a rifle. Two more grab Jack under the arms and drag him towards their van, shoving me down when I try and stop them.

"Jack, no!! Sam, they're taking Jack!!"

"Sam! Nyssa!"

"Jack! Jack!" Sam starts after the van.

"I wouldn't," says a voice. "Hey, Sam."

"Michael."

"Happy Holidays," he holds up the egg.

"You smug son of a bitch!! If you hurt Jack, I won't rest until I kill you."

Sam grabs me around the waist and holds me back as I lunge at the archangel. I scream and kick, trying to get out of his grip, but he's taller and stronger than I am. So I quit struggling and just glare daggers at Michael in his new vessel. I reach for my angel blade, ready to use it if Sam gives me a chance. I don't care about my safety, I'm so angry I'm seeing red. I just got Jack back, and now he's gone again.

"How'd you find us?"

"What are you gonna do, Sam, hm?"

"You're gonna kill me anyways," he says.

I lunge at Michael as he's distracted with Sam, but he throws us against a delivery van. I scrape my shin on the asphalt as I land, catching myself with my right hand so I don't fuck up my dominant hand. The archangel advances toward us, but instead of killing us, he just melts the egg. All we can do is watch as the only thing we could use to trap him disappears. Then he knocks Sam's head against the van, knocking him out before he disappears. His phone keeps ringing, but I can't get to it cause he's slumped over on it. When he finally wakes up, the very first thing he does is pull out his phone and call his brother.

"Sam?"

"It was Michael. He knew where we were. He got the drop on us and destroyed the egg, and, uh... Dean, he's got Jack."

"How did you escape? Is Nyssa okay?"

"I'm fine, who cares about me?! Dean, did you not hear Sam? He's got Jack, Cas!!"

"I didn't. He knocked me out. I... I don't know why he didn't kill me."

"So, what- is he playing us?"

"I don't know. I mean, Garth's not answering my phone calls. Best guess- Jack's in Kansas City and that it's still game time for Michael there. I- I'm gonna head there now."

"Okay. Hey, we got the spear, so we'll meet you there."

"Great."

"And, Sam?" Cas cuts in.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you go in there alone."

"I know."

"Then you better drive damn fast. And when shit goes down, Michael is mine." Even though Sam broke every traffic law possible on the way there, it still took hours to reach Kansas City, and longer to reach Hitomi Plaza. I'm out of the car and running toward the parking garage before Sam even shuts the car off. Everything inside me is screaming that my nephilim is in there somewhere. So I completely ignore the fact Cas told us not to go in until he and Dean get there. Sam and I sneak into the parking garage, and he slices off a vamps head as he notices Cas' car. We get in the elevator and Sam slices off a woman's head as the doors open. Then we walk further into the office until we reach double doors, and Sam opens them slowly, poking his head around it cautiously. My heart squeezes and my blood boils when I see Jack kneeling there, hands cuffed behind his back. I push past Sam and kneel behind my nephilim, pulling out a pocket knife and slicing the zip ties. "Jack," I breathe softly. "Sam, Nyssa?" Jack asks. "Where's Michael?" "Ahh," Jack winces in pain. "I don't know." "Come on, let's go," I hug Jack, shaking slightly. "Hey, baby, it's okay. I'm okay, I promise," he says. "Wait, wait, wait, wait," Sam says. "Shh, shh." I pull out my angel blade when I hear footsteps approaching the office, holding my breath as the door opens. I let it out when Garth enters the office, settling into a more relaxed stance and dropping my blade. "Garth," Sam says. "Hey," the werewolf answers. "You're okay." "Yeah." "Great. Let's get out of here." I take Jack's hand in mine, being sure to leave our dominant hands open in case we need to fight. We ride the elevator back down to the main floor and sneak off cautiously when the doors open. "Dean and Cas are almost here. They got the spear," Sam says. "As soon as they get here, we regroup, go upstairs..." "Kick Michael's ass," Jack finishes. All of a sudden we hear Garth groaning, and I turn to see him hunched over, hands on his knees. I squeeze Jack's hand, and he looks at the werewolf, too. Sam turns when he hears the groaning, and we all stop. "Garth?" Sam asks. Jack walks slowly toward Garth, hesitantly putting his hand on his shoulder. Garth snarls and turns around, eyes flashing white. He backhands my nephilim across the face before I can react. The power behind the slap sends Jack reeling, and I hear the breath get knocked from his lungs as he lands. I crouch next to him, checking his pulse quickly. "Jack!" "Sam, he's in my head. He won't stop. He won't let me stop." "Garth," Sam says. "I'm sorry," the werewolf replies. "Hey, don't do this. You don't have to do this. Garth." "You can fight this. You can fight this one," Sam says. But the werewolf lunges at Sam, who punches him in the face and puts him in a chokehold from behind. Then he grabs his arm and flips him over his back and onto the floor, where the taller man lands with a grunt. Jack crouches low and rushes Garth, tackling him to the ground. The werewolf's claws come out and he slashes Jack's cheek quickly before Sam tackles him and puts him in a chokehold. Just then, Dean and Cas finally show up, and they walk toward us. Dean has a thick rope in his hands, and he and Sam tie the werewolf's wrists and ankles together and set him in the trunk of the Impala. "Well, thanks for waiting for us," he says sarcastically. "I didn't have a choice," his brother replies. "It's true, babe, I didn't give him a choice. I wasn't gonna wait for you while Michael did Chuck knows what to Jack." "He drank Michael's grace," Sam says about Garth. "Why didn't he tell me?" "I don't know." "When Garth turned, it gave Michael a window. I think he was spying on us through him. I think that's how Michael knew where we'd be, how he got the jump on us." "All right, well, Garth's on ice now," Dean replies. "You know, maybe if we cure Michael it'll heal him." "Well, I-I called the other hunters. They're on their way. Take care of the city, in case we don't win up there." "I wouldn't bet against us, you know," Dean twirls Dark Kaiyah's spear like a ninja. "Hyah. Hyah." "Dean, you're an idiot. Be careful, you're gonna hurt someone." "Ah. Woah. Ah. I got it. It's cool. It's good. How we looking over there?" "Good as new," Cas says after he heals Jack. "Jack?" "He's up there, waiting for us," the nephilim looks up at the ceiling. "You know, Michael's monsters are all over this city. If he feared us in the least, he would have sent some our way." "Yeah, well, he could have killed me back at the shipping facility. I think he wanted us to come here." "We have to remember- Michael will sense my approach." "So, zero element of surprise," Dean says. "We're walking right into a trap." "Which is set by a full-power archangel." "Impossible odds. Feels like home. Let's do it." I take Jack's hand as we walk back toward the elevator, holding it the entire way up to the top floor. When we step off the elevator, we hear the voice of Michael's vessel as Michael calls out for Castiel. "Castiel! You do realize I can feel you in here. There's really no need to be... coy." "Michael," Cas says, and they start fighting. "Tell me something, Cas. Why'd you come alone? Advance scout? Strongest player first? Not that strong. But, hey, if they want to miss all the festivities, well, then that's... their... loss..." he says, punching Cas with the last three words. "But I have a schedule to keep." He tosses Cas on the floor in the office, and Sam and Jack try to attack him. But he brings them to the floor with a wave of his hand and brings his hand into a fist. He's slowly killing them, and my blood boils as I watch my nephilim dying. Then Dean goes in for an attack, swinging Dark Kaia's spear at the archangel. "You got it." "I sure did." Michael kicks Dean square in the chest, making him drop the spear. Then he grabs him around the throat, choking him as he raises him in the air with one hand. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight. I know you hate me, Dean, but don't forget- you let me in. And now you get to see it- everything your mistake will make possible- all the bloodshed, all the death- all on you." While Michael was distracted, Sam had made his way to the spear. "Dean!" The older Winchester grabs the spear and swings it, slicing Michael's arm with it as he squares off with the archangel. "Trust me. That's gonna leave a scar." "Kill him!" Jack yells. But instead of killing him, Dean hesitates, and suddenly the woman slumps to the floor. Then he takes the spear and breaks it over his knee, and we hear energy crackling. He throws the pieces aside and turns around, and his eyes are glowing. Michael had gotten in again somehow, though none of us knew how. "No," Sam says. "Yeah. When I gave up Dean, you didn't think to question it, to ask why? Dean was... resisting me. He was too attached to you, to all of you. He wouldn't stop squirming- to get out, to get back. So I left- but not without leaving the door open... just a crack." "Why wait?" Cas says. "To break him, to crush and disappoint him so completely that, this time, he'll be nice and quiet for a change- buried. And he is. He's gone. And now- I have a whole army out there, waiting, ready for my command, ready... for this," Michael snaps his fingers, and suddenly he's wearing a suit. "Now this... just feels right." As he keeps talking, he brings Jack, Cas, and Sam to their knees. When I try to get to my nephilim, Michael brings me to my knees, but not before I can take Jack's hand in my own. "Hope is an amazing thing, isn't it? You had no chance of winning this. None. But you had hope- hope that I wouldn't see you coming, but I saw everything. And now I have my perfect vessel. I've just destroyed the one weapon that could really hurt me. Thanks for bringing that, by the way," as he's talking, Cas struggles to his feet and tries to attack him. "Don't interrupt me." But Cas sets him on fire with holy fire, and clicks the angel cuffs on his wrists. Everyone is quiet for a beat before Michael speaks. "You think these can hold me?" "Yeah, we do." "Dean. Come on, Dean. Are you in there?" "Dean's not home right now. Please leave a message," suddenly the wail of sirens cuts through the air. "Oh, right. That. Did you forget? My monsters are out there, building an army." Jack grabs the discarded angel blade from the floor as Sam's phone rings. He answers it and reaches for the doorknob to lock the door. "Maggie? Hey. What's happening out there?" "I grabbed every hunter I could find, and we're trying to track down the monsters, but, uh, there's so many of them." I can hear the girl's voice from the other end of the phone. "We're getting reports of attacks all over the city. No kills, just bites or scratches. It's like they're trying to infect-" "Yeah, I know." "Sam, where are you?" "Top of Hitomi Plaza, Tenth and Main. We've got Michael." "Do you?" "Okay, we'll get there as soon as we can." "No, no, no, just save as many people as you can. Don't worry about us. We'll figure it out," he hangs up the phone. "Okay, so what's the plan?" Cas asks. "With the angel cuffs on, Michael's under control." "Keep telling yourself that," the archangel says. "Get him downstairs, dump him in the trunk of the Impala, and take him back to the bunker." "But Garth is in the trunk," Jack points out. "It's a big trunk." Suddenly we hear the growling of Michael's monsters outside the door, and they start banging on it trying to get in. Jack gets in a fighting stance and looks at Cas and Sam. "Monsters." "More like calvary. I called them. It's a party." "Sam, I don't know how long I can hold them," Cas says, as Jack uses the broken end of the spear to bar the door. "Yeah, well, we have to get Dean out of here." "Yeah, well, we can't go this way." "It's not like any of us can fly," Jack snaps back. "Well, one of us can," Michael says. "Shut up!" Sam tells him. "Sam, are we gonna die here?" Jack asks, pulling me against his side. I wrap my arms around his waist. "Nyssa, I'll protect you. I won't let them hurt you." "I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you. If you die, I don't care if I'm safe." "Jessica? You said you're always here, right?" Sam spins in a circle, looking around the room. "Sam, what are you doing?" Cas says. "Billie- uh, uh, Death assigned a reaper to keep an eye on Dean and me. Her name is Jessica, and she is always-" "Hello," a woman says as she materializes. "Where's Jessica?" "Well, my name's Violet. It's my shift. We have shifts now, because you mess up so, so many things. Study door." "Okay, all right. Well, Violet, we have to get out of here," Sam says. "And I want you to know that you have my full emotional support." "W-we don't want your emotional support. We- we want your actual, physical help." "Sam, who are you talking to?" Jack asks. "You can't see her?" Jack and Cas shake their heads. "I can," Michael and I say. "You know, in my world, we locked Death away and enslave the reapers," the archangel says. "Shocker," I say, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Lovely. Well, just look at you now." "Okay, look, sorry, but we're stuck, okay?" Sam interrupts. "And Death owes us one after we fixed the whole Rowena thing. You know about that, right?" "Oh, yes, the Rowena thing you started," Violet says, and I giggle, cause it's true. "We're gonna die here. And my brother-" "Reapers can't intervene- and rules." "Don't give me that whole clean hands-" "Even if I did feel inclined, uh, we don't have access to that kind of-" "Well, uh..." "Shh, shh," Violet holds up a finger. "Sam, what is she saying?" "She's not saying anything." "Okay," Violet says. A moment later we're back in the bunker, and Sam looks at Violet. "How did you do that?" "I, uh, didn't. Have fun," she says before disappearing. "Now what?" Jack asks. We end up cuffing Michael to a pole while we figure out what to do next. Jack stands with his arms crossed, looking at the archangel. I stand next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. Cas comes walking up to us and Jack asks him a question. "Shouldn't we put him in the dungeon or something?" "Jack's right- we don't know how long those cuffs are gonna hold. I mean, Bobby improved them, but-" "If those cuffs won't hold him, neither will the dungeon," Sam says. "I can hear you. Really?" Michael says as we walk further away. "Okay, so, what?" Jack asks. "Okay, listen. Back when Gadreel possessed me, he- he created, uh, I don't know, like a- like a fake world inside my head. But Crowley was able to force his way in, he showed me how to take control, and I drove the angel out. The problem is..." "Crowley's dead," Cas finishes. "Okay, so..." Jack says as Sam's phone rings. "Sorry. It's Maggie. Hey." "Sam, we're almost at Hitomi Plaza." "A-all right, uh, yeah, we're, uh- we're actually back at the bunker." "What?!" "Yeah, long story. I'll explain later. Uh, Maggie, we, uh- we left Garth in the trunk if the Impala back at Hitomi Plaza. Can you make sure he's okay?" "Okay, but, Sam, the monsters- they've stopped attacking people." "What?" "Looks like they're headed west." "Remind me, Castiel- we're west of Kansas City now?" "You're bringing them here?" "You think?" "Jack, let's lock it down," Cas says. "Yes, uh, put a chair against the door. That'll help," Michael says sarcastically. "Nothing's changed. Either my monsters get here or I break these chains. But tonight... everybody dies. And, Sam? The last thing you'll see is this pretty smile... as I rip you apart." Sam disappears into the bunker and comes back with a weird machine on a cart. Cas and I raise our eyebrows at him, and I open my mouth to ask a question. But the angel beats me to it. "What is that?" "It's the, uh, messed up British Men of Letter's thing they used to get inside people's heads. I figure if I can get in, maybe I can wake Dean up, get him to fight, you know, force Michael out." "If he can," Cas says. "Yeah. Cas, this is all we got." "I'm coming with you, Sam. We don't know how long we've got, so we don't have time to argue." So Sam sets to work trying to fix the machine, and I stay with Jack to keep an eye on Michael. He keeps trying to get under our skin, taunting us; it works a lot better with me than it does the nephilim, though. "So, they left you to keep an eye on me? Gotta say, little insulting. I mean, what are you? You're nothing." "That's not what you said before," Jack says, putting a hand on my arm. "Ah. Yes. A moment of familial weakness. It won't happen again." "It doesn't matter. Sam and Dean- they're gonna beat you." "Oh, please. Sam's in so far over his head, he's drowning. And Dean? Well, I've got Dean under control." "No. Dean- he's strong." "He's a gnat. I'm a god. Who would you bet on?" "Dean. I'd bet on Dean. Every time, no matter what," I interrupt. "You don't know anything about Dean," Jack says. "I'm in his head... literally. I know everything. Like, I know how sad he was when you died... on the outside. On the inside, well, it's not that he was happy- he just didn't care. Cause you're not Sam. You're not Cas. You're a new burden that he was handed. You're a weak, helpless thing. You think that they care about you, love you? You're a job, a job none of them wanted. And you-" "Jack! Go help Sam," Cas comes back, grabbing Jack's arm as he starts to leave. "Wait. Don't believe anything he says. He's lying." "No, I'm not. And I can still hear you," the archangel calls. I follow Jack as he leaves the room to help Sam, attempting to grab his hand. But he pulls away and keeps walking. "Jack..." "Nyssa, not now. Let's go help Sam."

"Look at you," I hear Michael say as I walk away. "Playing nursemaid to a nephilim. Nothing like the Castiel I knew. He would've never been so... anemic."

"You're confusing loyalty and compassion with weakness."

"Tell me. Why do you love this world enough to risk your own life?"

"Tell me. Why do you hate this world enough to burn it to the ground?" Cas shoots back.

"Because I can. Because... me and my brother- my Lucifer- when we fought in my world, we thought that God would come back, give us answers- why He'd gone, what we'd done- but instead, do you know what happened? Nothing. No God. Nothing. And now... now that I'm in here- now I know why. God- Chuck- is a writer, and like all writers, He churns out draft after draft. My world? This world? Nothing but failed drafts. And when He realizes that they're flawed, He moves on and tries again."

"No, that's not how...why would he do that?"

"Because He doesn't care! About you, me- anything. Now, at first, I thought I'd do it better. Show him. Be more God than God. But now... I just want to burn every one of His little worlds until I catch up to the old man."

"And then what?"

"Even God can die."

While Michael is talking to Cas, trying to get under his skin, Jack is talking to Sam while he tries to fix the weird Men of Letters machine.

"This... is it going to work?"

"I don't know."

"Well, if it doesn't, maybe there's something I can do. The magic that's keeping me alive, what if I can do more?"

"Over my dead body," I say as Sam turns to Jack.

"And burn off your soul?"

"Not all of it."

"Dean would never forgive himself," I interrupt.

"Jack. Dean wouldn't want to be saved, not that way," Sam agrees.

"You don't know what you're walking into."

"Last time Dean was possessed, he said it felt like he was drowning. This time... it'll probably be worse."

Finally, Sam has the machine fixed and we're ready to start. After Cas attaches electrodes to the younger Winchester's head, he does the same with the archangel. Michael can't help but make yet another sarcastic remark.

"Cool science project. I give it a solid B-minus."

"Okay, in theory, I should be connected to Dean's mind," Sam says. "Cas, you should be able to hitch a ride with me."

"Oh, Cas... I believe in you."

"What should I do?" Jack asks.

"Pray," his dad responds.

"And make sure no one kills us."

"Well, I like this plan. See, out here, I'm all chained up. But in there, you're all mine. So... what are we waiting for?"

"Cas... where are we?"

"In Dean's mind," Cas responds.

"Then where's he?"

"Excellent question," Cas holds up his hand, palm glowing. The air is filled with Dean's voice, and a scream cuts through. "There's so much pain. So much trauma in Dean's mind. So many scars."

"Well, yeah. Dean's been through a lot, but he's strong."

"I wouldn't bet against him. Not even against Michael," I agree with Sam.

"Sam... we've both been through a lot, and Dean is more than strong. What I meant was, if I knew... if I knew what I was looking for, I could just- I could simply go to it. But because Michael has Dean trapped away, drowning, I have to wade through all of Dean's most terrible memories."

"Cas, wait a second. Would Michael bury Dean in trauma?"

The glow of Cas' palm fades and he turns, a confused expression on his face. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Michael said it himself. The reason he left Dean in the first place was because Dean was fighting back so hard."

"So if Michael wanted to keep Dean placated..."

"Dean thrives on trauma. I mean, he's had to his whole life, right? It keeps him alert, keeps him ready, but if I wanted to distract Dean I-I... I'd give him something he's never had before."

"Contentment," Cas and I say in unison.

"Exactly. So maybe instead of looking through his bad memories, maybe let's uh... maybe let's look through his good memories."

Cas' palm begins to glow again, and this time we hear the sound of happy Dean. We listen for a while, then I hear something weird. I frown softly and look at Sam, who nods slowly. "Wait a second. Yes. Definitely. Cas," Sam says softly. "This has never happened. There. Let's go there." One second we're surrounded by darkness, the next we're in a bar with soft music playing. Dean is behind the bar, holding a rag. The relief and happiness make my knees weak, and I walk unsteadily over, sinking onto a bar stool. Hey. There they are. Kill a ghoul, get a beer," Dean picks up a glass and fills it from the tap. "Got this great IPA from Austin- Cosmic Cowboy. You're gonna love it. Whiskey neat for my girl, though, I know you hate beer." "Hey, Dean, what's going on here?" Sam asks slowly. "What are you talking about?" "Cas? Sam? Nyssa? I'm glad you're back safe. I was starting to worry," we hear a familiar voice, then Pamela Barnes walks over. "Don't tell Dean. He'll use it against me." "Uh, Pamela Barnes was blinded when she saw my true form," Cas whispers to Sam. "Yeah. She was also killed by a demon, so..." "Hey, what are you guys waiting for? Drink up." "None of- none of this is real, okay?" Sam blurts out. "T-this bar, uh, uh, Pamela..." "Excuse me? You've never met anyone more real than me, Sam Winchester." "You're just a complex manifestation of Dean's memories designed to distract him," Cas cuts in. "You really know how to talk to a lady, don't ya?" "Okay, listen to me. You have to remember what's going on out- out in the real world," Sam says, frustrated. "I know it's raining. What else do I need to know?" No, I'm not talking about the rain- I'm talking about Michael!" Suddenly the music stops, and Dean and Pamela disappear. Cas, Sam, and I look around, confused. Then they appear again, only this time Dean is polishing a glass and Pamela is sitting next to me on a stool. Dean looks up at his brother and our boyfriend with a smile. "So, you guys gonna tell us about the hunt or what?" "Okay, what? You guys were just... what the hell is going on here?" Sam asks, confused. "Okay. All right. Now you're starting to worry me. What is going on?" The next moment, Dean is vaulting over the bar, machete in hand. I watch as he slices off a vamps head with one swing, which would be hot if I wasn't confused as to what just happened. Then he slits the throat of a second vamp behind the bar. I squeal as I get sprayed with vamp blood, squeezing my eyes shut. But in a blink Dean is behind the bar cleaning a glass again, and Pamela is standing next to him, hands on the bar. "You guys got real messy on that ghoul hunt, huh?" Pam asks. "No, we didn't get messy on a hunt. We got messy just now, in this bar, in a vampire fight," Cas growls softly. "Maybe we should rethink the beers." "Yeah," Dean agrees. "Okay, Dean listen to me. I think you're- you're stuck in a loop in- in your mind," Sam walks up to the bar, speaking to his brother. "Michael is possessing you. You have to remember that." "Michael?" "Yes." "Michael's in the cage," Dean scoffs softly. "Come on, guys. What is this- some kind of joke?" "No, Dean, it's not a joke," Cas replies. "Okay. Okay. If we're all in Dean's head, then he should be able to control things, like a lucid dream?" "Yeah. I-I don't know. Maybe. I..." Get me a shot," Pam looks over at Dean. "With your brain." "Okay. Dean, listen to me. This bar is not real. Pamela isn't real. Man, we were there together when she was blinded." "You're blind?" Dean asks. "Yeah, I've been blind for a while. Thank Feathers here for that one." "That was- Dean, that was an accident," Cas tells his boyfriend. "Dean, she's not just blind," Sam continues. "She's dead. Pamela died helping us." With those words from Sam, the brunette disappears. Dean looks over where she just was in confusion, setting the glass down on the bar. Then he looks back at us, shaking his head, doubt filling his voice as he objects further. "No. No, no, no, no. Guys, this is- this is my life. This- this is the dream." "No, not it's not. It's just a dream, Dean," Cas objects angrily. "That's all it is. Please, you have to- you have to try to remember, because the people in your life- in your real life, out there- we need you to come back." "Dean, your life is back home, with me. With Cas, Jack, your brother. Your mother." "Poughkeepsie," Sam whispers. "What did you say?" Dean asks. "Poughkeepsie," Sam repeats, louder. "I remember," Dean says after a moment. "I remember everything." "Oh, Dean, it wasn't your fault," I climb over the bar and he wraps me in his arms. "Michael made you do it, you know that, right?" Dean doesn't answer, he just wraps a hand around the back of my neck and kisses me hungrily. I moan and stand on tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him as if I'll never let go. We're interrupted by slow clapping, and I turn to see Michael standing in the doorway of the 'bar'. He walks over to us slowly, usual predatory look in his eye. "Hey, fellas. Hi, sweetheart. Well, this is fun." "Get out of my head," Dean says, stepping in front of me. "You don't mean that, Dean. Not really. You may lie to them, but deep down, I know you. I am you. You only tolerate the angel because you think you owe him because he 'gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.' Or whatever. But since then, what has he done? Only made mistakes, one after the other. And, Sam- oh, Sam... you know, Dean was his happiest when you quit hunting, leaving him with your dad, just the two of them. See, deep down, he knows that you will always abandon him, again and again." "Shut up!" Dean growls. "You don't need them. You don't even like them. They're not your family- they're your responsibilities. They're a weight around your neck. And deep down, you wanted- you were desperate to get away from them. And that is why you said yes," I try desperately not to let the archangel's words get to me, but it's like he's in my head, using my insecurities against me. "Don't even get me started on baby whale over there. She knows deep down you could never actually love her; she's known it since you first met." "I said shut your damn mouth!" Dean yelled. "Wait. Something's wrong. You're stalling." "Am I?" "He's buying time so his monsters can get to us and rescue him." "You think I need them to rescue me? Please." "Fine. You're so tough, why don't you snap your fingers and nuke us all?" "Is that what you want?" Michael asks. "Yeah. I do," Dean retorts. "He can't. Because in here, we're all just mental projections, so in here, we're all the same." Cas says. "So, in here, you're all talk," Sam continues. "You think I need my powers? I destroy worlds, and I'd crush you with my bare hands." "Prove it," Dean says. I squeal as Dean lunges at Michael, who punches him in the face a couple of times. Sam lunges at the archangel when Dean falls back against the bar, and Michael rounds on him. They fight for a moment until Michael knocks Sam to the floor, then Cas throws a punch at him. The men fight for a couple of minutes before Michael speaks up. "You fellas didn't think this out, did you? Even if you could force me out, what do you think I'd leave behind, hm? You'd be nothing but blood and bone," Michael turns to Dean with a smirk. "Then we don't kick him out. We keep him in," Dean says. Dean opens the freezer, and Sam shoves Michael in. Then Sam and Cas slam the doors closed, and Dean locks the door. The archangel screams and pounds on the door. I run over to Dean, throwing my arms around his waist. He hugs me close and kisses the top of my head. I let out a choked sob and bury my face in his chest, trembling like a leaf. "Hey, baby, shh. I'm okay. I'm alright, I promise," he murmurs. "It'll hold. My mind, my rules. I got him. I'm the Cage. We should get going, get back to Jack. Don't worry, I promise I'll be okay. I'll see you in a minute." I nod slowly and kiss my hunter, blinking tears out of my eyes. Cas reaches for my hand, and a moment later we materialize in the bunker. Dean blinks his eyes open a moment later, and Sam wakes up at the same time. After we get the machine put away, Maggie comes up to us with a report of what happened while we were out. "We'll get the rest of this cleaned up," she finishes. "Yeah. What about the rest of Michael's monsters?" Sam asks We're getting in reports. After you guys woke up, they all just went their separate ways. I guess Michael can't control them now." "Huh. Maggie... thank you. For everything." "It wasn't me. Jack, he... I didn't know he could still do that angel stuff." My blood runs cold, and I turn to Maggie. "What did you just say?" I don't hear the girl's reply or anything Sam says to her. I'm off like a shot to find Cas and Jack. I run into the kitchen and over to the nephilim, throwing my arms around his neck. I let out a shaky breath, cause for a moment I was terrified he had died again. He pulls me into his lap as Cas is speaking to him. "That magic burns off your soul." "It was an accident." "Yeah, but you can't afford that kind of accident. You need your soul to stay alive, to-" "They would have killed you." "I know. Look, I'm not mad at you. I... I've just seen firsthand what the absence of a soul does. And it's not just about you staying alive, Jack. It's about you staying you. You understand?" "It won't happen again." "Okay." "I thought I lost you again. When Maggie said... and then I couldn't find you. I was so scared, Jack." "I know, Nyssa, I'm sorry. I won't use my magic again. I promise. I'm gonna go to bed, are you coming?" "Not right now, I'll be there in a little bit. I want to check on Dean real quick first though." I wander through the bunker toward Dean's room, and I hear him talking to himself in the bathroom. I knock on the door but he doesn't answer at first. I assume he's talking to himself since the door is locked. "It's just you. It's just... you. It's all you." I hear the lock on the door click and I slip into the room, wrapping my arms silently around Dean's waist. We stand in silence for a moment until we hear a familiar voice behind us. We turn to see Billie standing there after she calls his name. "Dean. So... not all good news. I did say I'd see you again soon." "Go the fuck away, Billie, you can't have him. I just got him back, I'm not about to lose him again." "You could've knocked," Dean lays his hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. "Figured all that banging on the door in your head was enough." "Michael's all locked up," he says in answer. "Seems that way." "Sam said that one of your reapers really came through with the assist. I'm thinking that was probably you." "Don't tell anyone," Billie answers. "You broke the rules." "I took a calculated risk. I warned you about the dangers of jumping from world to world. But you ignored me, didn't you?" "Billie, we had no choice. Jack was in trouble," I answer her. "Rescuing Mom and Jack, helping out those other folks- I'd say it was worth it." "And just look at you now. Do you remember visiting my reading room? The shelves and shelves of notebooks describing the ways you might die?" "What is she talking about, Dean?" "Upbeat classics," Dean answers us both. "Well, it's the funniest thing, but they've all been rewritten. They all end the same way now- with the archangel Michael escaping your mind and using you as his vessel to burn down this world." "All of them?" "All of them. Except one," Billie passes Dean a book. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Dean says, not letting me see. "That's up to you," she says before vanishing. "Dean, what does it say?" "Don't worry about it, baby. It's not important." "A book about your death and you say it's not important? Fuck you, Dean Winchester." "Is that a threat or a promise?" Dean says before lifting me into his arms.


End file.
